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Staycation in London: take the stress out of travel
Remember when roads were so quiet, it felt like we’d been hit by a Zombie Apocalypse? The first time we heard the word “Staycation” was in the middle of the pandemic. But those days of zero travel options uncovered a few surprise benefits. Among them was an invitation to fall in love with your home turf. City break or a fortnight’s holiday, the staycation wins out.
Forget pictures of weary travellers without a plane to board; forget long waiting times for a passport and the curve ball of currency exchange rates. London has it all. From its Roman origins and the riverside delights of the City of London, to elegant St James’s and Mayfair, a packed Summer awaits.
Festivals and Events
Aldgate Sounds
Aldgate Square, EC3
A mindful musical lunch break with live concerts. 12-2pm Tuesday throughout July and August.
Petticoat Lane Thursday’s
Wentworth and Goulston Street
Music, fun, food and creative goods. 12-3.30pm Thursdays 14th, 21st, 28th July.
BaLaCo Festival
Aldgate Square, EC3
Community arts and culture festival celebrating the Bangladeshi, Latino and Cockney cultures, part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. 2-8pm Friday 22nd July.
Nocturnal Creatures (Late Night Arts Festival)
Saturday 23rd July 6pm–11pm
Free
Something for older children and adults: A free arts festival that transforms a host of indoor and outdoor spaces around the Whitechapel Gallery and the City of London. Installation, film, live performance and music to enhance the unusual and the historic. Your family might
This Bright Land Festival
August 1 to 29
Somerset House Courtyard, The Strand, WC2
Rolling programme of free day and night activities (treasure hunts, outdoor games) and performances, workshops. 35m observation wheel.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival
August 26 to September 11
London’s free, annual outdoor performing arts festival. Art, theatre, dance, circus and family activities. Greenwich, Docklands and Tower Hamlets join forces. See Borealis light up the Greenwich and Woolwich skies.
Kaleidoscope Festival at Alexandra Palace
July 23
Panoramic views across London and gigs, DJ sets, comedy, plus family entertainment and street food.
London E- Prix
July 30 and 31
Docklands
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: teams go wheel to wheel on the streets around the heartland of East London’s historic docklands. Tickets online.
August 27–29
It’s back: 50,000 performers and 30 sound systems. One heck of a street party in West London.
Summer Lights Festival
Until August 20
Canary Wharf, E14
Artworks celebrating the wonders of natural light: 11 new installations. Free
August 20
Copthall Playing Fields, North London.
Pioneers of house music and breakthrough acts of today. Performers from UK, Europe and the Americas.
Food and Drink Festivals
Cocktails in the City
Bedford Square Gardens, WC1
August 20 to 21
London summer cocktail happening: cocktail making, cocktail tasting. Festival vibes and non-stop live music. London Cocktail Club, Barrio Bars and Callooh Callay etc running the drinks.
Local Craft Beer Festival
August 13 to 14
The world’s best breweries demonstrate their skills at Tobacco Dock.
London Dessert Festival
August 12 to 14
Business Design Centre, Islington
Puddings. A celebration of all things sweet.
August 5
Your excuse to sample something new.
Ice Cream Festival
August 19 to September 4
Everybody loves ice cream. And in Covent Garden, too.
Eating Out
Circolo Poplare
40–41 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, W1
Sicilian trattoria with 60 outdoor seats in the centre of town, open 7 days a week.
Heddon Yokocho
8 Heddon Street, W1
For family members who read manga or watch anime: a retro ramen bar designed to take you back to the 1970s Yokocho alleyways of Japan.
Heron Tower (38th and 39th floors), 110 Bishopsgate
Japanese–Peruvian–Brazilian fusion rooftop restaurant plus 360º views of the city. And a very prominent, very orange tree on the west terrace.
High Timber Restaurant
Broken Wharf House, 8 High Timber Street, EC4
South African cuisine, featuring Stellenbosch’s most awarded wine estate, and chef Bartek Wegzryn. Something a little bit different on the banks of the Thames.
Tower Suites’ Family Time
Kids Eat for Free this August
100 Minories, EC3
Blue Orchid Tower Suites’ fully equipped boutique apartments are a stone’s throw from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Family packages offer an excellent family London hotel booking. This August kids eat for free at the in–house, Italian–inspired Cento Alla Torre restaurant. There is also a Harry Potter themed staycation (potions class, walking tour and themed afternoon tea plus movie night, also special discounts).
Theatre and Art
101 Dalmatians
July 12 to August 28
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Big summer musical 101 Dalmatians, with new music. Celebrated Toby Olie is both puppetry designer and director. Kate Fleetwood as Cruella.
Jack Absolute Flies Again
Until September 3
National Theatre, South Bank SE1
Starring Caroline Quentin as Mrs Malaprop, WWII update of raucous Restoration Comedy The Rivals that brings the farce and the frailty of life to the Olivier Theatre. Side–splitting perfection.
Immersive Everywhere: Peaky Blinders
The Camden Garrison
North Yard, Camden Stables Market
Team up with Thomas Shelby and take over Camden Town. From the Doctor Who Time Fracture creators.
Disney on Stage
Covent Garden
Magical Disney interactive summer pop-ups - Frozen, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast.
Kids’ Week
There’s an excellent offer for August that families might want to book right now: for every adult ticket purchased, one child goes free. To take full advantage of this offer, combine this with a Kids Week package at Blue Orchid’s Rochester Hotel (on Westminster’s leafy Vincent Square). A stay in this central London hotel gives you access to discounted family rates, family breakfast, dinner included and more.
Moulin Rouge
Until January 2023
Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1
Baz Luhrmann’s tour de force translated to the stage, soundtrack courtesy of David Bowie, Elton John and Christina Aguilera among others.
My Neighbour Totoro
September to January 2023
booking now
Barbican, EC2
THE theatre event for the family this year. RSC–produced production of Studio Ghibli’s much loved My Neighbour Totoro. Live action, animation and puppets. Joe Hisaishi score, all done with the blessing of Hayao Miyazaki himself. Worth booking a room in nearby Blue Orchid hotel Tower Suites.
Photographers Gallery
Ongoing
Ramillies Pace, W1
The Photography Quarter. Free art display covering the streets in Soho now transformed into a new and permanent art gallery.
Art in Mayfair
Until 31st July, fashion meets art in the streets of Mayfair.
Secret Cinema Dirty Dancing
Until July 31
Secret location: dress as part of the cast, stay in the audience or take centre stage… eat, drink, interact with the characters. For serious fans.
Summer Season at Shakespeare’s Globe
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside
Tours, workshops and performances from this faithful recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe. Best value tickets in London (standing room with the groundlings). King Lear triumphs this Summer with Kathryn Hunter in the lead role.
The Seagull
Until September 10
Harold Pinter Theatre, 4 Panton Street, SW1
Emilia Clarke plays Nina in Chekov’s classic. Fans of her Game of Thrones persona take note.
Wicked
Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Road, W1
One of London’s longest–running shows, Wicked turns the Wizard of Oz on its head.
Wellbeing and Relaxation
On Foot
A 90 minute self–guided tour of the square mile. Hidden gems and famous landmarks. History, culture, shopping, eating and drinking within a FREE visitor trail map from City Information Centre or download the app.
Relax and Unwind
Blue Orchid Tower Suites, 100 Minories, EC3
Relax and Unwind package for two: one/two night stay plus full body massage or rejuvenating facial from Adamo Spa and dinner for two at Cento Alla Torre and room service breakfast. Also other great in-house packages, nestled within a Tower hotel London.
Summer in the Square
July 21 to 31
Grosvenor Square, Mayfair
A celebration of wellness, music and entertainment in Grosvenor Square.
Superbloom at the Tower of London
Until September 18
London’s very own “meadow bathing” experience, complete with a sound installation designed to help millions of wildflowers grow (and the rest of us relax). Superbloom is a delightful homage to HRH , marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A sea of wildflowers in the vast moat that renews itself year after year. Tickets £12.
Sculpture in the City
Until April 2023
Free
Across the City
Outdoor artworks for the 11th year running. Sculpture in the city is popular public art show – spot contemporary sculpture amongst iconic buildings like the Gherkin and Lloyd’s.
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk
A 7 mile stroll across all four Royal Parks. Download a map here.
Sightseeing
The Gunpowder Plot
Ongoing
The Tower Vaults, Tower of London
The famous plot to blow up Parliament: an immersive experience, taking you back to 1605, with Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter) starring as Guy Fawkes. Tickets available.
Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse
Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios, Watford
See a range of Harry Potter props and film sets, including the new magical greenhouse with interactive potted Mandrake plants. Travelling to Warner Bros Watford is most convenient via the Shuttlebus from London’s Victoria Station. Blue Orchid’s Rochester and Wellington Hotels are two hotels near Victoria station, also convenient for Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park, West End Theatres and the Museums of South Kensington.
Leadenhall Market
Gracechurch Street, EC3
Picturesque historic covered market in the city, made famous by the Harry Potter films. Near The Monument and London Bridge, famous for its shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes.
Madame Tussauds: Star Wars Gallery
Working with Lucasfilm and Disney, Tussauds has recreated key scenes from the Star Wars blockbusters. See Jabba’s Throne Room and the flight deck of the Millennium Falcon, Yoda in a swamp and Han Solo in the canteen.
Family activities within the Royal Parks
Free bird–watching tours across acres of central London royal parkland this July. Also storytelling, bug hunting and “critter crafting.” Cafes too. Another reason to choose one of the nearby Blue Orchid hotels.
On Your Bike
Cycling in the City. See the oldest parts of London by bike. Award winning bike tours for solo travellers, families and groups. Dedicated bike lanes.
Hyde Park History
August 5, 12pm–1.30pm
Hyde Park’s history includes a hidden Victorian Pet Cemetery where 1,000 animals have been buried. Book tickets (£12).
Harry Kane: I Want to Play Football
Until December 4
Museum of London, 150 London Wall, Barbican EC2
Free tribute to one of our soccer heroes.
Hadrian’s Holidays: Roman London Family Quest
August 10 and 17
Free (3 locations)
Self–guided family day out. See London through Hadrian’s eyes via The London Mithraeum (temple to the god Mithras), London’s Roman Amphitheatre (think gladiators) and the Bank of England Museum. Follow the map provided.
South Kensington Green Trail
End of July to mid October
New art installations and a green trail to follow. A month of free events, pop–up nature hubs and art installations created by architects, artists and gardeners. Join in with the buzz.
The World Reimagined
From August 13
City of London
The Square Mile will be filled with outsized round globes this August. A free street art trail featuring 10 globe structures, each designed by an individual artist. A visionary response to the transatlantic slave trade. Connected to a digital platform, the trail takes in Bank, St Paul’s, Guildhall and Aldgate.
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